Brandon: When I decided to join the Katrina/ Sandy team I did it to get out of the house and so I wouldn’t have to go to school. However I knew that I had to work but the experience and the memories were something that I never would have expected. I mean I knew that these people were in need of workers to do small jobs that larger companies wouldn’t do since they’re spread too thin around the state. The people we met shared their stories with us like Joe, Emery and his wife, Kevin and Jan, and Chris. They had told us how their house had been impacted by the storm and how they managed to evacuate and how long and how hard they had to work to get to this point. Even though they have worked so hard to have their houses fixed there is still much work to be done. They showed their gratitude not only with their words but also with their actions. Some helped us complete the work, others gave us snacks when we have been working a while and even just sharing a smile with us. Now I just feel happy that I came to help these people get closer to getting their life back on track before the storm hit.
Michelle :) Being a Team Member of Operation Katrina/Sandy has been one of the best experiences of my high school life. I spent most of my time at the Visitation Relief Center. I had many good times on this trip with helping out residences, creating a vegetable garden and doing manual labor. There was a time where my team and I made Easter baskets for children in the community who were affected by Hurricane Sandy. My favorite day was when we helped a married couple clean up a creek that was behind their house. They were the sweetest people I have ever met. The husband was willing to help us and explained to us what happened to his area when Hurricane Sandy hit. The hardest task I had to face is when my team and I had to move a large stack of sheetrock inside the Visitation Relief Center. With GIRL POWER and encouragement we got the job done! Going on this trip is something I would love to do even when I graduate from Mercy.
Niyah:
Operation Katrina-Sandy 2014 was a great experience for me. My group who consisted of three Gwyneed Mercy Academy girls and a few Mercy Vocational High School student as well. We worked at the Visitation Relief Program helping them do a lot of different activities. The first day was all the hard work we clean an outdoor garden and planted broccoli and kale. We also picked peas and cleaned up leaves and tree twigs. We basically cleaned up the outdoor at the relief center so that when the people move in they will have a beautiful scenery to look at while they eat outside.During the rest of the week the work got simpler and a little less complicated. We made Easter baskets for her kids who were affected by Katrina so that they can have a nice gift and to know that somebody out here cares.We help finish the touches on peoples houses so that they can finally move into their home.We had to level a front yard which was very hard work and we had to plant grass.We cleaned out a creek which had a few dead trees out his back and a lot of debris for an elderly couple. We have done a lot of cleaning around houses for people who needed the job done so that they can finally move in. I have learned a lot in this experience. I enjoyed meeting new people and everybody was so friendly to us. I enjoyed seeing their reaction when we finished the work for them and how thankful they were.
Matt:
This trip was one to remember. On our way down, I didn’t think it would be as awesome as it has become. On the first day of work, I and 4 other team members were assigned to paint a 90 year-old couple’s home inside and out. Day two, the same crew members and I helped out at a food pantry and helped people with financial issues grocery shop. Today was our last work day on this trip and I got to see the vice principal stand between two ladders and scrub a house from top to bottom. What an experience that was. Like last year, I have gotten close to people that I’d never thought I would talk to and I’m not exactly ready to go home yet. I’m going to miss this trip a lot and I hope the people that go next year enjoy it as much as I have.
Brandon:
When I decided to join the Katrina/ Sandy team I did it to get out of the house and so I wouldn’t have to go to school. However I knew that I had to work but the experience and the memories were something that I never would have expected. I mean I knew that these people were in need of workers to do small jobs that larger companies wouldn’t do since they’re spread too thin around the state. The people we met shared their stories with us like Joe, Emery and his wife, Kevin and Jan, and Chris. They had told us how their house had been impacted by the storm and how they managed to evacuate and how long and how hard they had to work to get to this point. Even though they have worked so hard to have their houses fixed there is still much work to be done. They showed their gratitude not only with their words but also with their actions. Some helped us complete the work, others gave us snacks when we have been working a while and even just sharing a smile with us. Now I just feel happy that I came to help these people get closer to getting their life back on track before the storm hit.
Michelle :)
Being a Team Member of Operation Katrina/Sandy has been one of the best experiences of my high school life. I spent most of my time at the Visitation Relief Center. I had many good times on this trip with helping out residences, creating a vegetable garden and doing manual labor. There was a time where my team and I made Easter baskets for children in the community who were affected by Hurricane Sandy. My favorite day was when we helped a married couple clean up a creek that was behind their house. They were the sweetest people I have ever met. The husband was willing to help us and explained to us what happened to his area when Hurricane Sandy hit. The hardest task I had to face is when my team and I had to move a large stack of sheetrock inside the Visitation Relief Center. With GIRL POWER and encouragement we got the job done! Going on this trip is something I would love to do even when I graduate from Mercy.
Niyah:
Operation Katrina-Sandy 2014 was a great experience for me. My group who consisted of three
Gwyneed Mercy Academy girls and a few Mercy Vocational High School student as well. We worked at the Visitation Relief Program helping them do a lot of different activities. The first day was all the hard work we clean an outdoor garden and planted broccoli and kale. We also picked peas and cleaned up leaves and tree twigs. We basically cleaned up the outdoor at the relief center so that when the people move in they will have a beautiful scenery to look at while they eat outside.During the rest of the week the work got simpler and a little less complicated. We made
Easter baskets for her kids who were affected by Katrina so that they can have a nice gift and
to know that somebody out here cares.We help finish the touches on peoples houses so that they can finally move into their home.We had to level a front yard which was very hard work and we had to plant grass.We cleaned out a creek which had a few dead trees out his back and a lot of debris for an elderly couple. We have done a lot of cleaning around houses for people who needed the job done so that they can finally move in. I have learned a lot in this experience. I enjoyed meeting new people and everybody was so friendly to us. I enjoyed seeing their reaction when we finished the work for them and how thankful they were.
Matt:
This trip was one to remember. On our way down, I didn’t think it would be as awesome as it has become. On the first day of work, I and 4 other team members were assigned to paint a 90 year-old couple’s home inside and out. Day two, the same crew members and I helped out at a food pantry and helped people with financial issues grocery shop. Today was our last work day on this trip and I got to see the vice principal stand between two ladders and scrub a house from top to bottom. What an experience that was. Like last year, I have gotten close to people that I’d never thought I would talk to and I’m not exactly ready to go home yet. I’m going to miss this trip a lot and I hope the people that go next year enjoy it as much as I have.